Doubles star Paes has parasite, not cancer

ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- Leander Paes of India is suffering from a parasite and not a brain tumor, hospital officials and his family said Sunday.

Test results found that Paes has neurocysticercosis, common parasitic infection of the central nervous system, said Michelle Lynch, a spokeswoman for Orlando Regional Healthcare.

"It's basically a tapeworm that got into his system," she said Sunday. "We don't know how he got it."

Paes, 30, scheduled a news conference for Monday afternoon at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, where he has been since Tuesday.

"Leander is deeply touched by the overwhelming support he continues to receive from around the globe," Paes' family said in a written statement released Sunday.

Paes, a winner of six Grand Slam doubles titles, pulled out of the doubles competition at this week's tournament on Long Island and will not play in the upcoming U.S. Open.

Paes checked himself into a hospital near his Orlando home Aug. 17 after suffering headaches for three days. A scan detected the lesion, and he was transferred to Anderson on Tuesday.

He was in stable condition Sunday and would undergo antiobiotic treatment for at least a week, Lynch said.

Paes has won 27 men's doubles titles, including the French Open in 1999 and 2001, and Wimbledon in 1999.

Paes teamed with Martina Navratilova last month to win the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon, her record-tying 20th championship at the All England Club. Paes and Navratilova also won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open in January.

Paes also won the 1999 mixed doubles at Wimbledon and was a bronze medalist in tennis at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.